Harrogate Hospital's £7 million refurb will save £15 million in 25 years

Hollie Bone

A £7 million investment in Harrogate District Hospital is estimated to produce more than £15 million in efficiency savings over the next 25 years.

In the last few years, works have been ongoing to overhaul the hospital facilities but now the NHS Trust has revealed that an estimated £625,000 per year will be saved in the running of the building.

The investment will allow millions to be re-invested directly into patient care in future years.

Based on the estimated predictions, the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) will save a total of £15,625,000 over the next 25 years.

HDFT said the investment would allow the multi-million savings to be re-invested directly into patient care.

Phil Sturdy, Deputy Director of Estates at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There is a clear patient benefit here in terms of the broader resilience of the site, as well as what people may notice while in hospital, such as more natural feel to the lighting.

“The quality of the work and the effort that has been put in by everyone has given the Trust a project to be proud of.

"It was very technically challenging but it will support the Trust in continuing to deliver high quality patient care supported by robust engineering infrastructure and capacity to support future clinical developments.

"It also helps us continue to reduce energy costs and emissions in line with our Carbon Management Plan.”

Approximately £1 million has been spent on the electrical infrastructure, including a new standby generator with significant extra capacity, increasing the resilience of the hospital site.

Two of the original hospital's inefficient steam boilers, have been replaced along with new heating equipment across the site.

The Trust's existing CHP (combined heat and power) engine has been optimised with an innovative solution to divert any low grade waste heat, which would normally go into the atmosphere.

The diverted low grade waste heat will then be reused during the winter period to power the under-floor heating in the hospital’s car park, saving on annual gritting costs.

Internal lighting has been replaced throughout the majority of the site with more than 8,500 new LED lights installed, with are a whiter, 'friendlier' light.

The light is more dementia-friendly, with nursing staff commenting that it is making a difference in the well-being of patients with dementia.

Old light fittings or pipework which was stripped out were taken away for recycling, while contractors, Imtech, carried out the project of making the site more energy efficient.

Mike Harris, Managing Director, Imtech Engineering Services, said: ‘We are delighted to have been involved in this project making such a difference to funds for front-line care and to have created a better experience of the hospital environment through the lighting project.

"Following our successful installation of the new infrastructure services, we look forward to delivering the maintenance regime for the next 25 years, continually innovating to make savings and improvements year-on- year."